


The Crossroads of Destiny

by buzuki



Series: Mamamoo x AtLA Universe [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mamamoo
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:54:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23159617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzuki/pseuds/buzuki
Summary: Bounty hunter Solar is tasked with retrieving a stolen heirloom from the Northern Water Tribe. She soon realizes the heirloom might not be the only priceless thing she finds up north.
Relationships: Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul
Series: Mamamoo x AtLA Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664803
Comments: 6
Kudos: 61





	1. Winter Sun

“If I have to travel out of the continent for this, it will cost you a lot.” Yongsun says, pretending to examine her nails in an attempt to look indifferent. “Because Jjing Jjing here is sensing his smell on this ship and the only recent journey it made was to the North Pole.” 

The expensive-looking man standing in front of her scratches his chin, no doubt making a cost-benefit analysis. Yongsun has no doubt that the man can afford her services but he seems like the type of rich man that got more wealthy by hoarding all that gold, not spending it. “Let me know by tomorrow if you still require my services, otherwise I’ve got other clients on the line.” She says jumping down from her shirshu’s back and holding the reins in her hand. 

After years of learning from her father and on the job herself, she knows that it is best if she doesn’t pester the client or doesn’t seem desperate. She may really need the money right now but showing that will only cause the client to haggle further. 

After making sure Jjing Jjing is safely asleep in the stables, she makes her way up to her room that was being paid by the client himself. He was a wealthy Earth Kingdom merchant that had his priceless family heirloom stolen and had no one other than Yongsun and her shirshu to turn to. The heirloom was a scroll with a pure gold bar and that was the most she was allowed to know about it. Not that she needed more information. All that was required was something with the thief’s scent on it and Jjing Jjing would handle the rest. 

Laying down on the uncomfortable bed with the itchy hay-filled pillow is the least of Yongsun’s worries as she tries to get some shut-eye. She really needs this client to agree to continue the hunt or she will have to sell some things to keep Jjing Jjing in top shape. When she lost her dad during a mission, she didn’t expect everything in her life to become harder, being alone, even if she was capable of taking care of herself, was the hardest thing she faced. 

That is why she feels relieved as the cold winds make her shiver to the bone on the ship a few weeks later. They are sailing to the Northern Water Tribe, the temperature is going down unlike them. Yongsun wonders for a moment, how can anyone live in a climate like this, cruelly cold most of the time with occasional calm coldness in between. She managed to convince her client to also provide the appropriate clothing for the intense weather, she feels like she needs to thank her father for her haggling skills. All her life has been traveling up and down the Earth Kingdom with seldom visits to the Fire Nation, yet she never ran into anyone from the Water Tribes, let alone go there. She knows that her father would have been ecstatic for this opportunity, he was the most curious person Yongsun knew in her life, never turning down an offer for an adventure. 

With those thoughts in mind, she takes in the view of glaciers glistening in the sunlight, creating a false sense of warmth. It is calming, how the only sounds around them are from the water beneath them, the world seems a lot less hectic here than it is in her usual Earth Kingdom taverns. 

As she’s about to ask the captain how much time they have left, she sees something to their right move incredibly fast. Just as she’s about to warn the captain, she sees him order his crew around. One of his mates run up to the front of the ship and wave a simple blue cloth, only then several boats reveal themselves. 

The boats are small in size but move incredibly fast, Yongsun assumes as she watches in wonder, that the one controlling them must be a waterbender due to the lack of any pedals in sight. She counts four boats in total, surrounding them in every direction. The one on their left gets closer than the rest of them and just as Yongsun thinks the crew are going to throw them rope ladders for them to get onto the boat, the waterbender on board moves his arms around, in a manner that is completely different from the blunt and rough movements of earthbenders and the forceful, ruthless styles of firebenders. He looks like he is flowing as one with the waves and the water seems to answer his call and form a stair-like shape between him and the ship and freezing in an instant, providing him a way of getting onto the deck. Yongsun almost feels like rubbing her eyes to check if she’s seeing correctly, she has seen many benders in her life but every element was different, leaving her in awe every step of the way. 

“Zavrok, hello my friend. Good to see you again.” The captain says, bowing respectfully. “Do I need to show you my papers?” 

The man named Zavrok, the waterbender who impressed Yongsun deeply bows back, a smile on his lips. “No need, Laong. Just give me the list of things on board so we can escort you to the gates.” Just as he finishes his sentence he turns to see where Yongsun is standing on the deck, leaning her back on Jjing Jjing, trying to look as unbothered as she possibly can. The waterbender raises his eyebrows. “You have a new… addition to the crew?” 

There is something about his tone that irritates Yongsun, maybe it is the way he paused, or the way his eyes dance around her figure. She bows slightly, enough to not be considered disrespectful but not much that they actually think she respects them enough to put up with any bullshit they throw at her. 

“The name’s Solar, I’m a bounty hunter. This is my shirshu, Jjing Jjing.” she says, deciding that is enough information for them to know. 

“Where is her husband, brother or father?” The waterbender asks the captain, ignoring the irritated raised eyebrows Yongsun sends his way. 

“I don’t have any of those.” She answers, a hand on her hip. “Here are my travel papers.” She says, pulling them out from Jjing Jjing’s saddle. “I’m here on behalf of the Gyasheng family.” 

After Zavrok takes a look at her papers with an unimpressed expression, he hands them back nonchalantly. “Interesting, we have quite different cultures, I’d be careful around town if I were you, Bounty Hunter Solar.” 

“Very kind of you to worry about me, Waterbender Zavrok.” She says mockingly as she bows. 

The men go back to their conversations, the content of their ship gets checked, a few more glances are thrown her way before the waterbender and the rest of his crew descends the icy stairs and it turns back to water with a flick of his wrist. All four ships that surround them move to the front and start to lead them towards what she assumes is the gates the man mentioned. 

After fifteen minutes or so, just as Yongsun was beginning to wonder just how far the tribe built their city, an unnaturally shaped iceberg catches her eye from afar. As they got closer, she noticed that it was indeed a man-made ice wall, which stood tall between even taller icy cliffs that had watchtowers on them. Maybe that was where they spotted their ship?

The details of the great gate made her forget all about the unpleasant feelings she had towards the first water tribes person she had met, instead her focus was entirely on the gorgeous view of the water tribe gates, eerily calm and ethereally beautiful. Smooth, icy walls adorned with the Water Tribe sigil, a crescent moon embracing the waves of the ocean, stood in front of them, reminding her how powerful benders can be once again. 

The boat that was in the very front, the one led by Zavrok, stops right at the bottom of the wall, gesturing for his men to get in formation. All six of them raise their arms with circular motions and as they bring them down, the solid ice in front of them bends to their will and sinks into the water, giving them an opening to enter through. Right after they go through the tunnel they enter a closure with people on top of the walls, more waterbenders, Yongsun guesses. 

They move their arms much like the ones who opened the gate did and suddenly water starts to rush down the walls raising their water level. The whole city unravels in front of her eyes as they rise to the top of the wall. 

“It’s beautiful.” She says to herself, her father would have loved this place. 

“After a while, it loses its magic and all you are left with is the cold.” Says one of the older crew members as he is sorting through the ropes. Yongsun can’t help but chuckle at that. 

“Oh, let her enjoy her first time. It’s not every day where you see a city entirely made of ice.” Says the cook, whacking the older man on the back of his head with a kitchen cloth. “Enjoy your stay, dear. It truly is a wonderous city.” 

Yongsun smiles gratefully at the woman, losing her balance a bit as they are stopped at the dock by the waterbenders. She gathers all of her belongings, a satchel that has her personal stuff and her whip that she attaches to her hip, and leads Jjing Jjing down the ice-ramp provided by the dock workers. 

Captain of the  _ Ocean Tamer  _ comes down right after her. “We’ll be leaving for the Earth Kingdom in 4 days, I hope you can finish your business by then because otherwise, you will have to wait for another month or two before we come back again.” He says, showing her a map that marks their route. “So, try to get things done in 4 days.” 

She nods and bows down briefly before turning around on her fur covered heel, walking towards the inner parts of the city. Just as she’s about to look around for someone to ask where she could find an inn, a man with a big, albeit fake smile comes her way. “Hello Traveler, would you be interested in staying at the finest inn Northern Water Tribe has to offer?” 

Yongsun thinks about going around town and finding the cheapest option for a moment but reminds herself that all is being paid by her client and she could use a little luxury in an icy tundra. She smiles and gestures him to lead the way. “Sure, I need a place to stay anyway.” 

The man talks non-stop as they walk towards the inn, about the culture, the city, its history and its impressive resistance to the Fire Nation in the war. 

“Don’t you have another tribe at the other end of the world too?” She asks as they walk in a narrow street between two buildings. 

“We have lost contact with our sister tribe a long time ago… The war hasn’t been kind on us.” He says, losing his salesman act for a second before picking it right back up. “But you can enjoy southern water tribe cuisine in our inn’s fine kitchens with a small addition to your overall bill!” 

Yongsun wants to roll her eyes but refrains from doing so, a little attitude doesn’t hurt much but basic respect was necessary to keep her out of trouble, especially in a foreign city with a foreign culture. 

“I hope your inn has a stable where my shirshu can sleep.” Yongsun asks, as the man turns right around a corner. 

“Of course, it will have the best treatment as well, your... shirshu, was it?” Asks the tribesman, he stops in front of a beautifully decorated building with carvings all over it. “I must ask, what is your animal exactly? I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“She’s just for riding, he is pretty fast.” Lies Yongsun, not trusting the man enough to let him know how incredibly rare and valuable her shirshu is. It’s not a common thing to have an animal who can hunt down a scent continents away. 

He leads them to the stable first, and she securely puts Jjing Jjing in a corner filled with furs and locks his cage behind her. “I hope she will be fed as well?” 

The man assures her of that and walks her to her room where lots of candles light up a room full of furs. She thanks the man and just as she closes the door after he leaves, she feels the fatigue of traveling come down on her. 

“I’ll be up early tomorrow morning and finish the job right away.” She says yawning as she takes her heavy furs off to crawl into the soft bed in her undergarments. “Yeah, I’ll just deal with everything tomorrow.” 

☾ ❂ ☽

Jjing Jjing is running behind the man who is trying to evade them by sliding on the ice with his feet, making himself faster with bending, Yongsun has her whip ready, waiting for a clear shot, free of any civilians who might get in her way. Yet that shot never comes and the man runs onto a narrow bridge, one that wouldn’t let Jjing Jjing get on it. Yongsun jumps off the shirshu’s back, yelling at him to wait there and starts running after the man on foot. 

She finally gets the shot she needs to crack her whip and takes it. However, she doesn’t realize that the man bent an icicle towards her, and just as her whip hits him across his face and chest, slashing a not-so-deep cut open, his sharp icicle pierces through her stomach. As the man groans and falls to his knees in agony, Yongsun runs to his side as fast as she can with a bleeding tummy, tying him up behind his back with the rope attached to her hip. 

“Spirits damn it, how will I carry you now?” 

As if the spirits heard her prayers, three men in uniform run towards them. “You two! What do you think you’re doing, wreaking havoc in the city?” One of them yells as they kneel beside her and the thief. 

Yongsun tries her best to speak through the pain. “I’m here… on the behalf of a rich Earth Kingdom man named Luo Gyasheng, this thief right here… stole his family heirloom and my client sent me to catch this criminal… so will you please… arrest him and help me find a healer…” She is so out of breath. 

The uniformed men look uncertain but Yongsun glares at them. “Look, a few streets back there is my shirshu and all of my documents are in his saddle. Help me get there and I’ll prove it to you.” 

They seem to be half convinced as one of the men helps her up and walks her to where Jjing Jjing is waiting for them. Yongsun tries to stay awake as they look at her documents. “What you are saying seems true, so we will arrest him on your beha…” 

Before he can finish his sentence Yongsun feels her consciousness fade to black as gravity defeats her. 

☾ ❂ ☽

“I have stabilized her wounds as best as I could but she needs to stay here for at least a week or she might bleed internally at the smallest wrong move.” A deep, soothing voice says. Yongsun tries to open her eyes to see the owner of the said voice but her strength betrays her, leaving her in darkness. 

She falls back to sleep once again. 

☾ ❂ ☽

Her eyes finally flutter open as she feels a cool sensation roam through her body. She groans with relief as the coolness runs through her wound.

“Oh, you’re awake.” The woman retracts her hand as Yongsun tries to sit up, sharp pain taking the place of the coolness from seconds before. “Careful, you’re nowhere near healed. You need to take it easy for a while.” 

Remembering the voice from before, Yongsun looks at her face finally. A woman who has an empathetic smile on her small yet pointy face is looking at her with care written all over her expression. Her dark brown hair is braided and gathered up behind her head to not get in the way of her healing duties. Cute, Yongsun thinks, she has a cute face. 

“Are you my healer?” She asks, her voice raspy from the lack of water, which is ironic considering she is in a city made of ice. 

“Yes, my name is Byulyi.” She says, giving her a cup of warm water. “Officers brought you here five days ago and you kept falling in and out of sleep. I have managed to minimize the damage but you need more rest.”

Yongsun decides that she likes her voice a lot, and just as she’s about to comment on that, she realizes that she missed her ship. Only a groan of frustration comes out of her mouth. 

  
  



	2. Moonlit Ocean Dance

All things aside, Yongsun thinks, I can’t ever picture myself getting used to the cold. Even if they somehow managed to heat the ice buildings from the inside, Yongsun feels like the slap of cold air whenever you step outside or the harrowing lick of the wind that sweeps in through any crack it can find is unbearable. 

Other than that, Yongsun likes it here. The food lacks the spices she is used to but it's tasty in it’s own way, the city looks beautiful and there is a calm aura around everything. It is entirely different from the hectic Earth Kingdom life she’s accustomed to; there is no constant noise from the streets, no looming threat that the fire nation soldiers will attack, no earth kingdom ‘soldiers’ to collect brutal taxes that go to only spirits know where. It even makes her forget that the world is in a never-ending war. 

“What’s on your mind that you don’t even hear me come in?” 

She hears a voice that breaks her out of her trance, a voice she became familiar with over the last week she spent in the infirmary. 

“I’m telling you, the cold is numbing my brain.” Yongsun jokes as she gets up from the cushion in front of the icy glass that allows her to take a peek onto the street. 

“It is perfectly warm in here and maybe if you didn’t spend your entire day right next to the window, you could get warm.” Byulyi says as she slowly stirs the tub of water she brought with her. 

“But it’s boring trying to get warm alone.” Yongsun says, wiggling her eyebrows as she lays down onto the bed, hiking up her garments to reveal her bandages that have some blood seeping through. Byulyi frowns.

“You have the energy to make such jokes yet you can’t take this seriously for a second and not move for a while for your stitches to hold properly.” She scolds Yongsun, who she knows as Solar. “I know that our healing abilities must seem magical and almighty, but they are only effective if you do so as I say.” 

“I know, I know… But I get so bored in here.” She says pouting to make Byulyi pity her. “There is no one to talk to and I already went through all the scrolls you gave me.” 

“I’ll bring you some more. Now stay still.” Orders Byulyi as she bends the clean and warm water out of the small tub and swirls it around her head before bringing it down to her belly and making it glow. 

“Does this ever get old?” Yongsun asks with a murmur as she watches the glowing water with fascination. 

“The glow? Yes. The feeling of it? I don’t think it will, ever.” Byulyi answers, her eyes closed. “Every person is another world. We all have energy paths in our bodies but there is always something that makes you surprised.” 

Just as she finishes her sentence, Yongsun feels a surge of energy travel down her spine, making her shiver. 

“There, this should work.” She says as she retracts the water and grabs a jar filled with a greenish blob. “Seaweed-seal balm might smell a bit unpleasant but will help you.” 

The rest of her healing session goes on with a comfortable silence as Yongsun watches Byulyi treat her with careful fingers and calm expertise. As she finishes wrapping up the wound and takes the old bandages to clean them, Yongsun searches for anything to say that will make the water tribe woman stay a bit longer. Just as she’s about to gather her supplies and leave, Yongsun opens her mouth despite not knowing what to say. 

“Can you… stay a bit longer?” She manages pathetically and without a trace of subtlety. “I… get lonely.” 

Yongsun swears there is a hint of blushing on her cheeks as Byulyi pauses, the tub resting on her hips. “I… I have more patients to attend to.” 

Yongsun can’t help but let the disappointment show on her face, she doesn’t know why but she wants to get the know the healer more, and wants the healer to know her too. “I understand, sorry, I was being selfish.” 

There is yet another beat of silence in the warm hut, lights from the fire flicker, dancing around their faces. 

“You might need nightly surveillance, I’ll come after my other patients are done. I have got to make sure you don’t move around much after all.” Byulyi smiles as she leaves before awaiting an answer. 

Yongsun can’t help but smile widely.

☾ ❂ ☽

“It’s not like I could just give up. I had to get that man back to my clients so I did what I had to do and climbed down the sewers to catch the bastard.” Yongsun excitedly recounts her adventures to a grimacing Byulyi. 

“I can’t believe you actually ran through the sewers for money.” She says, snacking on a dried seal jerky. Yongsun was sure that Byulyi was breaking a few rules by being there and she was also certain that bringing sleepover snacks for a patient was not the usual procedure either. “Was the pay good at least?” 

“It bought me my current house so I can’t complain.” Yongsun says, shrugging. The taste is foreign but she can get used to the jerkies. Yongsun feels like a lot of things in the Water Tribe are worth making an effort to get accustomed to. “Enough about me, tell me some of your crazy stories.” 

“I don’t think I have many, not fun ones anyway.” Byulyi says, drawing her knees up to her chest. “Our culture is a bit… uptight. Not much room for adventures.” 

“Oh… What about healing? Why did you decide to learn how to heal?” 

“I didn’t decide, per se, waterbender girls in our tribe can only learn how to bend in the form of healing.” Byulyi sighs, glancing towards the door as if to make sure no one was there to hear the misery in her voice. “Don’t get me wrong, I love healing. I love being able to help people but I hate being forced into things. I hate being told that I can’t do something when I know I can.” 

“But why? Seems stupid to not train half of your people when the world is in war.” Yongsun remarks. The sadness written all over Byulyi’s face makes her blood boil. 

“I’ve asked the same thing a thousand times and the only answer they ever give to me is ‘It’s our traditions.’. I hate it.” Byulyi clenches her fists. “I know I would be a lot better than those ungrateful and lazy boys Master Pakku trains every year. He complains about how incompetent they are yet refuses to even take me seriously whenever I try to talk to him. Sexist dumb-ass.” 

“So, you don’t know how to waterbend aside from healing? How cruel is that…” Yongsun asks as she contemplates whether she should hold Byulyi’s hand as a sign of empathy. 

“I never said that.” Byulyi smirks, letting her fists unclench. “I wasn’t about to let traditions make decisions for me. That is why I made my childhood friend teach me all he learned secretly. I daresay I might be one of the best waterbenders in the tribe, secretly of course.” 

Yongsun raises her eyebrows in surprise. “I thought you said you had no crazy adventures. This doesn’t seem very tame to me.” 

Byulyi gets up from her seat at the end of Yongsuns bed, a smile hiding the blush on her cheeks. “There isn’t much to tell. We met up in secret every night, going over the moves until about a year ago.” She says, checking the pot on the fire to see if it boiled yet. “Would you like to see some of the moves?” 

“Here?” Yongsun asks as she straightens her back, sitting up on the bed. 

“Bending doesn’t have to be grand, small details can be breathtaking too.” She says as her hand stretches towards the pitcher on the ground which is full of water. Water slowly reaches up to her wrist, twirling around her whole arm like a loving touch. “There isn’t any music here but we have a traditional waterbending dance called ‘Moonlit Ocean Dance’. I’m no master but…” 

“I’m sure you’re great at it.” Yongsun says, encouraging the young waterbender to go ahead. 

Byulyi takes a deep breath and gets into a starting position, her legs are open as much as her shoulders, arms bent at the sides and hands holding the water she has under control in an orb right at the center of her chest. A silent moment passes, making Yongsun wonder if it’s a part of the dance but Byulyi starts moving. Her arms move to the either side, stretching to the opposite directions; right and down, left and up, water flowing with them as her right feet slowly rises from the ground and draws an invisible circle onto the floor. Her body twists and turns, water accompanying her like a loving partner, a soulmate. Both of her arms go up and water starts circling around her, in a hypnotizing sort of way. Without her heavy furs wrapped around her, the bending seems more sensual as it curves with her body, sometimes engulfing her like an embrace, sometimes teasing with just a touch. 

Her steps start to slow down and with a final move, Byulyi looks up and as if she’s a majestic sea creature leaping forward, she throws her arms down and brings her chest out as water forms a small wave just above her head before exploding into tiny snowflakes as she sinks to her knees. 

Yongsun can’t help but stare as Byulyi faintly pants. The warm light of the fire is flickering on her skin which is glistening with a thin layer of sweat, her face holds a timid smile, eyes checking to see approval on Yongsun’s face. 

“That… That was amazing!” Yongsun exclaims as she carefully gets up from her bed, making sure not to harm her stitches. “I was entirely captivated by how beautiful it all looked. You were so hypnotizing.” 

Yongsun didn’t understand why her words made the girl in front of her blush so much but before she could say anything, the girl gets back on her feet and swiftly bends all the snowflakes back into its pitcher. “Thank you. I never showed anyone that before.” 

As they stand right across from each other in the warm hut, Yongsun feels affection for the younger girl grow in her chest. “Thank you for sharing it with me, I greatly appreciate it.” She says, holding the girl's bare arm. “I hope these people realize how backwards their thinkings are and realize what a talent you are.”

“I… Thank you, Solar. I should go now and you should rest. I’ll come again tomorrow.” Byulyi says abruptly, surprising Yongsun. 

“I thought you were going to ‘supervise’ me through the night?” Yongsun asks as the younger girl pulls her bulky coat back on. “I hoped you would stay the entire night.” 

“I did say that but… you really need to rest.” Byulyi says hurriedly, adjusting her hair. 

“Wait!” Yongsun manages to say before the girl opens the door. “My real name is Yongsun.” She says, her name sounding foreign to herself after so many months of not hearing it. “Not many know it so… Thought I would share something personal as well.” 

Byulyi’s eyes widen slightly as the blank expression on her face gets replaced by a genuine smile. “Good night, Yongsun, rest well.” 

As the healer leaves, Yongsun feels a bit empty. After being alone for such a long time, it shouldn’t have been this easy for her to get used to someone else’s existence. I’m fine on my own, Yongsun thinks as she walks back to her bed, I will go back home in a month anyway. Just as she’s about to crawl back under the furs, a small shine catches her eye. It’s a necklace, made from a blue ribbon and a carved stone depicting waves under a full moon. She remembers Byulyi wearing it.

I’ll give it to her tomorrow, she thinks as she falls asleep with it in her hands.

* * *

hellooo

I hope everyone is okay and practicing social d i s t a n c i n g. This chapter isn't all that great but I hope you enjoy it anyway (:   
How do you like the story so far? 

also come talk to me on twitter [@buzukiff](https://twitter.com/buzukiff)


	3. Healing

Yongsun groggily opens her eyes to a new day, the engraved necklace in her hand reminding her of the private party with the healer and the dream she had afterwards. Byulyi was dancing on top of the outer walls of the tribe, pushing and pulling Yongsun’s boat with her moves, teasing her by never quite letting her near. What a strange dream, Yongsun thinks as she tosses the furs she slept under aside to get up and wash her face in the basin. 

She knows that her days here will be, at least until she manages to not bleed due to simple movements, uneventful and most likely mind-bogglingly boring yet she also doesn’t wish to discharge from the infirmary immediately. She scolds herself for being too curious for her own good but she really wants to get to know Byulyi a lot more, especially after the girl claimed to have a boring life last night only to reveal that she secretly and illegally trained for years in the art of waterbending. What more secrets and exciting stories does the girl have? Yongsun can’t help but wonder, after all she is stuck in a room all the way up north with nothing else to do but read and talk to the pretty healer. 

Cool water drips off her face as she reaches for her towel, a beautifully embroidered Earth Kingdom commodity that she carries all around the world as a little piece from home. She remembers her mom's serene face as she silently embroidered every piece of cloth she could get her hands on, her fragile health not allowing her to do much else. She would hum sometimes, her voice would sweetly linger in the background as her father taught Yongsun how to read and write. She also remembers learning how the absence of a person felt like after her mother finally succumbed to her many illnesses. 

Neatly folding the towel, she ponders for a second about doing her usual stretches before deciding against it, it will only cause her wound to open up again and she doesn’t want to throw away all the work Byulyi put in just like that. 

Sighing as she moves closer to the pile Byulyi brought her yesterday, she picks a book to read without even glancing at it. It’s a semi-interesting book about the history of settlements in the Northern Tribe but soon enough, words bleed into each other as Yongsun feels increasingly sleepy. Just as she’s about to doze off in front of the window for the nth time since she was admitted here, she hears knocking followed by the door opening. 

“Hi, how are you today? My name is Yaso and I will be taking care of you.” Says a cheerful, young woman who is obviously not Byulyi. Yongsun almost rudely blurts out ‘Where is Byulyi?’ but she catches herself and smiles at the healer with the braided hair. “Hello, nice to meet you and thank you.” She says as she moves back onto her bed for the healer to take a look at her. 

The healer gestures for her to lay down completely after she takes the top of her night clothes. Yaso carefully removes the bandages Byulyi put the previous day, beige with green salve stains on it. She draws the water from the tub she brought along with the signature flowing movements of waterbending, much like Byulyi did each day. 

She works quietly, her hands guiding the glowing water and brows knitted with concentration. It takes her a bit longer than Byulyi but soon enough she puts the water back into the tub, leaving Yongsun’s wound slightly moist. 

The healer named Yaso throws her used bandages into the tub of water and pulls out fresh ones from the satchel around her waist. After a few minutes of delicately wrapping her healing wound with the sounds of fire crackling to accompany them, Yaso gets up, handing Yongsun her top with a kind smile. 

“Have a nice day and please ring the bell in case of an emergency.” Yaso says, pointing to the rope that hangs right next to her bed and is attached to a bell right outside of her room. 

“Can I-” Yongsun hesitates, as Yaso turns around to look at her, not knowing if this would offend the healer.“Can I ask what happened to my usual healer, if that is fine? Is she okay?” 

“Healer Byulyi has been… called by the head healer regarding something important but I’m sure she is well and healthy.” Yaso says, smiling yet not with her eyes this time. “Please rest now.” 

Yongsun nods and releases the biggest sigh as the door closes behind the woman. Back to sleep it seems, she thinks as boredom slowly creeps up on her once again. She pulls the furs back on and grabs the necklace once again, drifting off to a midday nap, wondering in the back of her mind if their escapade last night got Byulyi into trouble. 

☾ ❂ ☽

Yongsun desperately wants to get out of the healing huts. She really believes if she stays in the same room for one more day, she will lose her mind to the icy lands of the Water Tribe and never get it back. 

It’s not like they are treating her badly here, quite the opposite, she is being healed as fast as humanly possible, thanks to the special properties of waterbending. 

However, they, the head healer she assumes, took away the one thing that kept her slightly entertained. It has been 6 days since she last saw Byulyi and on every one of those days, she pestered her new healer about the pretty healer's whereabouts. 

At least, she thinks as she examines her nearly invisible wound in front of the small mirror in her room, I will be out of here in a few days at most. She still can’t wrap her mind around the fact that a wound so deep could be healed without leaving a scar. She wishes she had a waterbender back at home, would be incredibly handy, that was for sure. 

There is a knock on her door, either her food or her healer is at the other side of it. “Enter.” She says, settling onto her bed again. Yaso comes in as usual, her tub of water at her hip and the seaweed ointment in a jar in her hand. 

“Hello Solar, how are you today?” She asks, as it is a part of her routine. 

“Hopeful that I can get discharged soon?” She says as if convincing the healer would make her wound go away. 

“I will have to look at your wound first, but from the state I left it in yesterday, I think you might even be leaving today. Nothing internal left, just the surface wound.” Yaso says, gathering the water around her fingers as they begin to glow. “If you will?” 

Yongsun hikes her shirt up and lays down, her head propped on her pillow so that she can watch as the glowing hands work on her skin. A good ten minutes pass before Yongsun can see anything happen at all. Her eyes widen as the faint scar completely disappears right in front of her. “Amazing.” She whispers, making Yaso chuckle. 

“You’re welcome.” She says, pulling the water back to examine her naked, unblemished skin. “You’re good to go. I’ll send someone here to take you to the teller’s office so that you can pay and to the stables so that you can get your beast back.” 

Yongsun feels like dancing around in glee as she put her outside furs on hurriedly. “Thank you so much, Master Healer Yaso.” She says, bowing the way the crew of her ship taught her to, the Northern Water Tribe style. 

“I’m happy to help.” She says before closing the door behind her.

As Yongsun is gathering all her belongings, pulling on her winter boots and attaching her whip to her hip, she picks up Byulyi’s necklace that she stashed away. She could have given it to Yaso for her to deliver it back to Byulyi but something selfish in her told her to keep it and use it as an excuse to see Byulyi again. 

There is another knock on her door, presumably the person who Yaso said she would send. Yongsun runs towards the door and opens it with a wide smile, ready to go out once again. A young boy in heavy furs, no older than thirteen, is looking at her with a shy expression. “Hello, I will be taking you to the teller’s office, so follow me.” 

“Lead the way.” Yongsun says, breathing in the cold, crisp air, filling her lungs to the brim. Even though it burns slightly, Yongsun has never been happier to be out in the cold. 

“Is… Is that beast really yours, milady, if you don’t mind me asking?” The boy inquires softly. 

“Yes, she is mine. And I'm no lady, just Solar is fine.” She says, following the boy into a building, once again made out of ice. “What is your name, boy?” 

“Novrak, mila- Solar.” He answers, correcting himself quickly. “I’ve never seen anything like your animal before.” 

Yongsun smirks knowingly, JjingJjing really was a special girl, hard to come by, especially this far up north. “She is pretty rare, she’s a shirshu.” She says, not wanting to explain everything in order to protect her shirshu, she was the most valuable animal known to Yongsun. 

After Yongsun pays the infirmary a modest amount of gold for her long stay and treatment, she is led by the boy, Novrak, to the stables nearby. Yongsun quickens her pace, eager to see her beloved shirshu, they have never spent this much time apart before. 

Just as they are about to cross the street to get to the stables, she hears a commotion from inside and a second later, JjingJjing bursts through the doors, running towards Yongsun at full speed. Before she can even react, she is on the ground with a heavy animal breathing excitedly on top of her, trying to nuzzle her neck. Yongsun laughs and gently pushes her away. “Easy there, you big baby.”

Navrok is standing a few steps away, eyes wide with surprise. “She is much... bigger up close.” 

Yongsun gestures for the boy to come closer. “You can pet her if you’d like, she won’t bite… much.” 

Navrok gulps nervously. “I’m good, thank you.” 

“I take it that I’m done here?” asks Yongsun after handing the stable boys a few silver pieces each, she feels generous when she’s not spending her own money. 

Navrok smiles and bows to her. “Yes, Solar. You’re free to go.” 

She bows back and climbs onto JjingJjings saddle for the first time since she got injured, and even though she had missed this she can tell that she will get sore after taking such a break. 

Just as he’s about to leave, Yongsun calls out to the boy. “Hey, do you know where I can find Healer Byulyi, perchance?” 

The boy shrugs. “She works in the healing huts but haven’t seen her recently. Sorry.” 

“Hmm, thanks anyway.” She says before riding away on JjingJjing. 

The streets are calm and serene as they make their way towards the lower parts of the city, where Yongsun remembers her inn being. As they are descending the icy hills, she sighs. “How am I going to find her now, Jjing?” She mutters to herself. Her shirshu puffs in return. 

Yongsun can’t believe how stupid she is. 

“Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” She says, excitement filling her voice as she rummages through her bag, in search of a certain necklace. The second her fingers grasp the silky choker, she jumps down from her saddle in the middle of the street, shoving the necklace to the shirshu’s nose. “Not for business this time, buddy.” 

As soon as she sees the twitch of her nose, Yongsun gets back on her saddle and flicks the reins. “Let’s go, girl.” 

Must’ve been the fact that they haven’t been hunting for a while, JjingJjing goes absolutely crazy as she runs through the streets at her maximum speed, ignoring Yongsuns calls for her to slow down. In a few minutes, they have already made their way back up to the higher parts of the city. As the houses get bigger and fancier, Jjing gets the close-by-twitches in her nose and dives into one of the streets. 

Before Yongsun can even register what is happening, the shirshu jumps forward onto a pedestrian, who was seemingly trying to open their door. 

“Ugh…” 

Yongsun grimaces at the pain in the voice that she knows all too well by now. Jumping onto the ground once again, she walks to the front, extending her hand down to Byulyi who was staring JjingJjing in the face with confusion written all over her expression. “Hello there, Byulyi.” Fancy running into you here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait, i just couldn't get myself to write anything that wasn't garbage for a while. You would think with the whole pandemic going on, the free time would result in me writing more but nope, i feel lazier and less inspired than ever. 
> 
> i hope this chapter is a good read, this will be a short story, like a prequel to a wheesa centric story im planning but seeing my current writing pace, don't be too eager for it 😅

**Author's Note:**

> hello dear readers, 
> 
> im back after a long break (welldonedragon/buzuki2 here)
> 
> This is a story I've been meaning to write for a long time as a pretty big fan of Avatar the Last Airbender and well, Mamamoo. 
> 
> A few things I want to point out;
> 
> \- June the Bounty Hunter is now Solar the Bounty Hunter  
> \- I know that Byulyi doesn't sound anything like a water tribe name but just roll with it...  
> \- And for those who haven't watched the show: you don't need to watch it to read this, just knowing the basic premise of it will suffice. HOWEVER as a massive fan of the show, I highly recommend you watch it :)
> 
> come talk to me on twitter @buzukiff
> 
> enjoy


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